


The Man Inside the Mirror

by PlagueDoctor31



Category: Evil Dead - All Media Types, Re-Animator (Movies)
Genre: Crossover, Gen, General Deadite carnage and mayham, Gore, If you've seen Evil Dead you probably know what to expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 17:07:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14359848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlagueDoctor31/pseuds/PlagueDoctor31
Summary: Inspired from “Re-Animator vs Army of Darkness” comic book- Ash wakes up in Miskatonic University after it’s overrun by the undead without his trusty chainsaw and boomstick, and with the help of a mysterious presence in the mirrors it’s up to Ash to find his equipment, which are currently in the hands of a mad doctor.





	The Man Inside the Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> As much as I like Dynamite Comics, I found the Evil Dead/Re-Animator crossover a tad lackluster. BUT that only inspired me more to write how I think a fight between Ash and West would go down.
> 
> I'm not too experienced in writing action and gore (this is my first time writing it actually ^_^' ) But I hope you guys have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

He crept towards the autopsy room, and with the distinct absent presence of mirrors Ash was unable to ask his guide to make sure he was going to right way. However, given what he’s heard about Dr. West, Ash could safely assume that he’ll find the good doctor down here. He looked down at the stump that used to be his right hand, sorely missing his weapons.

“Once I get my chainsaw, that Doc is going to pay for stealing that damned book and taking my stuff,” he mapped out in his head as he came to a stop at the double doors. Carefully and quietly, Ash nudged the door ajar to peek in.

The room was quiet, eerily quiet. It was much too quiet considering this room was the source of all the horrors that are currently on the prowl in the university. Nonetheless, the evidence that Ash could see was still very damning. Over half a dozen gurneys were positioned around the large room, a filled black body bag resting on almost all of them. The lights were off save for one over-hang light used for surgeries, illuminating the operating table at the center of the room revealing the only living man in the room. The light silhouetted a small man with short, greasy dark hair. His lab coat was soiled from a wide variety of fluids, which Ash could assume were blood, bile probably sweat. But, more importantly, the man had his back to Ash and was as still as a statue. Ash stepped into room, keeping his eyes locked on the man who was, without a doubt, the great Dr. Herbert West. Funny… Ash was expecting someone taller, and maybe a bit older.

A glint of metal caught his eye, and Ash had to practically bite his tongue to stop himself from letting out a cry of joy. On the equipment table to Dr. West’s right was none other than his trusty chainsaw. However, that did mean that a psychopathic doctor was standing right next to said chainsaw, so Ash was going to have to be careful, unless he wanted his own weapon to be used against his in the hands of a mad scientist.

“But…” Ash quietly reasoned “He hasn’t moved an inch since I got here.”

Feeling bold, and desperately wanting his weapon back, Ash took a step forward.

And then he took another…  
And then another…  
Another…

“Hey this isn’t so bad,” Ash thought triumphantly, reaching out to make a grab for the-

Dr. West’s head snapped up to attention, and Ash froze where he stood. _Shit…_

“Why, Mr. Williams… What an unexpected surprise.”

Ash quickly retracted his hand and backed up, noticing the tell-tale unnatural distortion in the mad doctor’s voice. _Shit shit SHIT!_

“You shouldn’t have read that book, Doc…” Ash threatened, despite being sans chainsaw or any proper weapon.

“Why not?” Dr. West cackled shrilly, a grating sound that Ash was all too familiar with “I feel great!”

The doctor spun around to face Ash, and he couldn’t help but recoil in disgust. Aside from the sickly pale complexion and glassy white eyes, Dr. West hadn’t showed any sign of deformation and decay that comes with many of the deadites. However, his more human appearance made him all the more unsettling to look at. A wide, toothy grin spread on Dr. West’s face, his mouth and teeth stained with a black bile that dribbled down his chin.

“I’m sure Dr. Whately will be pleased when I give you to him…” Dr. West giggled before coughing up more bile “In pieces!”

“Yeah, well,” Ash retorted, eyeing Dr. West’s hand as it was placed on the handle of the of his chainsaw “The only one that’s going to end up in pieces is you, Doc.”

In a flurry of motion, Ash rushed forward to take back his weapon. Unfortunately, thought he shouldn’t be surprised, the deadite doctor was faster. He caught Ash by the front of his shirt, bringing him up close to his laughing face before throwing Ash to the side, causing him to knock over a gurney.

“Nice try!” Dr. West cackled, a sound that knawed at the edges of Ash’s patience and perhaps his sanity.

“Shut up!” Ash pointlessly demanded, covering his ears with his hand and stub. He should’ve been careful what he wished for, because West’s laughter was drowned out by the revving of a chainsaw. Ash looked up just in time to see Dr. West raise up the chainsaw up over his head. He rolled out of the way as the chainsaw swung down. Clambering to his feet, Ash heard the distinct sound of ripping flesh, which made him whip around to see what the hell happen. Dr. West let out a curse, his weapon of choice having missed its target and got itself embedded into the body bag from the overturned gurney. It took the deadite a good couple seconds to pull the chainsaw’s blade free, enough time for Ash to put some distance between them in the room.

“Don’t run away, Ashy-Slashy!” Dr. West taunted, revving the chainsaw back up before quickly moving to close the gap between him and his prey. Ash jumped out of the way again, but with no bodies to jam him up again Dr. West was relentless. Ash was forced to move back and back and back and back, until he was finally pressed up against the wall.  
“Uh oh…” West grinned “Nowhere to go!”

The chainsaw swung up again, and Ash ducked to prepare for the strike. It came down, but there was no pain. In fact, Ash didn’t feel anything. Ash looked up, and to his surprise and relief he saw sparks. The chainsaw accidentally hit something else again, this time a padlock, connected to a metal door handle. Ash grinned with a renewed spirit to match Dr. West’s confused expression briefly before Ash raised up a foot and shoved the deadite away as hard as he could. It sent West stumbling back, tripping over the overturned gurney and falling flat onto the body bag.

Ash took the small window to quickly inspect the door that was struck. It was large and made of a stainless steel, much like one of those giant walk-in refrigerators. In fact, it was a refrigerator, as labeled by the red sign reading “REFRIDGERATED”. Cold or not, it was certainly better than sticking around in the autopsy room and wait for Dr. West to get back up again. Pulling the weakened padlock off, Ash yanked open the door and entered.

The room definitely used to be the morgue, but what it became was something much more off-putting. The gurneys were neatly arranged around the room, but rather than holding up body bags and cadavers, candles and mirrors were in their place, everything from hanging mirrors from offices to little make-up mirrors one could find from rifling through a lady’s purse. In the center of the morgue was perhaps from the largest in the entire building: a full-body mirror that Ash would guess could have come from the dean’s office or a dressing room. But such assumptions didn’t matter now. Ash needed help, and he now had the means to call upon them. He rushed up the large mirror and rapped against the reflective surface.

“Hey, Mirror Buddy!” Ash pounded against the mirror again “You listening? I found West! And he’s got my chainsaw! What now!?”

Ash couldn’t wait around for a response, for he saw movement in the reflection. He heard the return of Dr. West’s cackling. Ash turned around to see the deadite doctor staggering toward him, but West came to a stop in the doorway. His glassy eyes scanned around the room and looked at Ash in bewilderment.

“Come now, Ashy…” Dr. West tried to reason “That prison isn’t for you. Come on out now.”

The deadite waved a hand in a beckoning motion, but Ash knew better. He noticed how the deadite shuffled by the door, the faltering on that insane grin of his. The deadite looked… afraid? Seeing how far he could take this, Ash shrugged and stayed put.

“I don’t think so,” Ash crossed his arms with a sly smile “I kind of like it in here. It’s pretty cozy.”

“Get out, Ash,” Dr. West frowned.

Ash simply smiled and whistled idly in response to the demands.

“Come here, Ashley!” the doctor demanded, his voice becoming more distorted due out of desperation.

“Well, you’re just going to come and get me,” Ash taunted, beckoning Deadite-West inside.

Dr. West shuffled again, glancing around the room and back at Ash as he was no doubt weighing his options. He seemed to make his mind up, however, when he revved the chainsaw back up again and lunged into the room. Ash steadied his stance, waiting for the doctor to get closer. Dr. West began to swing his weapon for his next attack, and Ash took the flash of movement as his chance. Darting and ducking forward, Ash ran past the creature and turned to face him. He raised a foot up and shoved against Dr. West’s back with all his might much like, hoping that the same trick can work twice.

Deadites may be tough to kill, but they are certainly not the smartest monsters in the world. Ash’s foot was planted square against Dr. West’s back, and the push sent the deadite tripping forward once again. However, this time he didn’t have far to fall as he was sent crashing into the mirror and falling to the ground. The revving stopped as the chainsaw slipped from the deadite’s grasp. Surprised that the impact hasn’t shattered the mirror but not thinking too hard about it, Ash reached out and pulling his trusty chainsaw back to him.

“Oh look at that,” Ash mused with a confident smile “Looks like someone’s disarmed. Now get ready to be disarmed… Literally!”

In hindsight, that one-liner could use a bit of work, but now wasn’t the time to get worked up over it as Ash revved the chainsaw back up to make his move. Dr. West hacked up another cough, placing his hand on the mirror to push himself back up to his feet. The deadite looked at Ash with a mad primal glint in his eyes.

“Your soul will be mine!” Dr. West declared as he moved to step away from the mirror, but something stopped him “Huh?”

Ash hesitated as well, looking for what was stopping Dr. West from attacking. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until the deadite started tugging on his arm by the mirror. His eyes scanned along the length of the arm and found something wrapped around Dr. West’s wrist, and that something looked like… a hand? Dr. West had noticed it too, and his eyes widened in fear.

“What…? No!” The deadite protested, tugging more but the vice-like grip just wouldn’t let go. Ash, figuring out who it was, smiled triumphantly.

“Way to go, Mirror Buddy! You got him now!” Ash cheered on his faceless ally, watching to see what his friend would do next.

A second hand came through the mirror, wrapping around Dr. West’s face and forcing the deadite to turn so his back was against the mirror. West cried out in desperation, but to no avail as more and more hands came through to grab onto him. Ash could only stand and stare at what was going on, not even sure if he should let the mirror do all the work.

“NO PLEASE!” Dr. West begged, the voice no longer even remotely sounding human “AFTER ALL I’VE DONE TO HELP YOU! WE COULD’VE BEEN GREAT! CONQUER DEATH ONCE AND FOR ALL!”

_(Dark… Dark… Ever so dark. He hated being here. There was nothing he could do. He opens his mouth, and nothing comes out. He can’t even see himself, he may not even have a body here. The only thing that could remind him that he was real were the squares of light in the distance. And now, the other had appeared before one, and he found his opportunity to pull through.)_

Ash looked at the deadite as he thrashed and struggled with the hands. What Dr. West said was obviously not directed at him. Help? Conquering death? That had nothing to do with Ash.

_(He pressed his hands against the light as hard as he could. He pressed with his head, his legs, his chest, his whole body. He grabbed ahold of limbs, grabbing everything he could. Why is he grabbing with so many hands? This was a nonsensical place. The sooner he gets back to a more rational world, the better… He reached out with his hands, his arms enveloped with a wet warmth.)_

The begging died in the deadite’s throat, its eyes looking down at its torso. Ash watched as it jerked forward, coughing up even more of the black bile from before. If Ash didn’t know any better, he would assume that the monster got stabbed in the back, unless…

_(His hands moved to push the organs out of the way. He brought his head through, his senses being overwhelmed by the wetness of a body, but he knew that freedom was just beyond. He could hear a voice. Begging for mercy. It sounded like him, yet it wasn’t. His body ached as his hands felt against the fleshy wall that was keeping him prisoner, and he furiously scratched at it.)_

The deadite’s clothes were filthy, but they got even filthier as murky black blood began staining Dr. West’s shirt from within. Ash couldn’t believe it, did his mirror buddy actually stab the creature in the back like he suspected? It may be, but something was different. The deadite’s abdomen was bulging in and out, like something could burst through at any moment. And burst through, it did.

Ash winced as Dr. West let loose an agonized scream of pain as two fleshy appendages burst forth from its stomach, blood and entrails spilling forth from the large hole that opened up. The deadite thrashed excruciating pain, doing nothing but bleed out more and its begging screams now garbled by the blood that poured from all of the orifices of its face: the eyes, nose, mouth…

Ash looked down at the two appendages, unsurprised to see that they, too, were hands, but unlike the others they were flailing around as if searching for something, something to hold. In a flash of impulse, Ash dropped his weapon, rushed forward, and grabbed a hand.

_(Freedom! At long last he could feel the cold air of freedom on his skin. But he could feel nothing. He blindly searched with his hands as he looked for someway to pull himself through to the real world, but the other was moving too much to get a good grip. At this rate, the other will die with him stuck halfway between. Unexpectedly, a firmness clasped onto his hand, another hand! He instinctively gripped the new hand, and a force tugged on him. His body was slowly pulled further and further toward reality, and all the while his body ached as the dull pain enveloped him and became sharp with every tug. “Birth is always painful,” he supposed as his world filled with light.)_

It was a bitch of a time to pull out whoever the hands belong to, and all the while the deadite kept upchucking blood and vomit onto Ash, especially targeting his face much to his disgust. But he kept on pulling, more blood and gore spewing out of the stomach wound in an almost laughable way. How much blood and guts do deadites have inside them anyway? Ash could answer that question with “a lot” as head came through the hole along with a torso. Ash placed his foot against the deadite’s body for better leverage and gave one last strong yank. In an explosion of blood and organs accompanied by the deadite’s dying screams, Ash fell back onto the tile floor, his head smacking against the hard surface and a heavy weight landing on top of him.

I-[----}---

Ash awoke to silence and a dull soreness on the back of his head. It was unclear how long he was out, either a few minutes or a few hours. Not that it really matters. The silence surrounding Ash made his ears ring to the point where it was all but deafening. The screams had stopped, the begging stop, that annoying laughter had stopped. Ash groaned as he tried to push himself up, but it was then when he became fully aware of the body laying on top of him.

The body may be small than him, but at the moment it was a dead weight. From head to toe the person was covered with the inside of the deadite, something that Ash knew full well with never really wash out of their clothes. Speaking of, the person’s attire was a doctor’s uniform, complete with the lab coat and everything. In fact, that outfit seemed awfully familiar, but Ash wasn’t too concerned about it. Doctors pretty much dress the same, right?

The man laying on top of Ash was definitely alive, as evidenced by the steady rhythm of his breaths. It became even more evident as the man started to move on top of him. The man slowly placed his free hand on Ash’s chest to push himself up, letting out a soft groan of pain. As his head lifted up, Ash could see the man wore glasses, and now definitely looked familiar. The man pushed himself even more, eliciting another hiss of pain, and looked down at his soiled clothes.

“Ew…” was all the man said. His gaze flicked up to look at Ash, who stared back at him.

“Well good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Ash greeted. The man said nothing and looked down at their hands, which were still intertwined after the stranger was pulled through.

“Just to make sure,” Ash questioned “You came from the mirror. Are you Mirror Buddy?”

The stranger responded with an incredulous look, “That’s a stupid name.”

“What!? I just saved your life and that’s the first thing you say to me?” Ash frowned.

The man didn’t respond, but rather pushed himself off of Ash and getting on his own two feet, stilling looking a little disoriented evidenced by the slight sway to his stance. Ash sat up now that the weight was off, looking over to check what was left of the deadite. It sat hunched over against the mirror, the color in its skin completely washed out and leaving only a deathly pale grey. Its face remained twisted in the permanent screech of agony. Slowly, dots connect in Ash’s mind: The clothes, the hair, the glasses… He looked toward the stranger.

“You… The Deadite was you,” Ash slowly rose to his feet.

The man turned to look at Ash, “Finally figure it out? I’m the real one. That thing is nothing but a cheap imitation,” He pointed at himself and the deadite for emphasis.

“So, you’re Dr. West,” Ash nodded when he reached his revelation “What happened to you? That was still stupid of you to read the book. Now look at the mess you’re in.”

West, the real West, scoffed, “Do you really think I read the book?”

Ash blinked, “Huh?”

West explained as he began to walk out into the Autopsy room, “Whately has the book. He wanted my help.”

Ash rushed to follow, “And you gave it to him!”

“No!” West angrily interjected as he turned to face Ash. He may have to look up at Ash, but West’s icy stare still pinned Ash to where he stood “Why would I help someone mad enough to believe in a supernatural book?”

“Wait, you don’t believe in what the Necronomicon can do?” Ash looked baffled, having dealt with the artifact long enough to know that its power was very real.

West pursed his lips and looked away, “Used to… Getting killed by the book is certainly proof enough.”

Ash watched as West walked away. He had never heard of the Necronomicon actually killing a person, usually that responsibility falling to the deadites. Then again, Ash didn’t really know the true extent of the book’s abilities, so it could be possible. That would make that damned book even more of a priority. The sound of water caught Ash’s attention and he quickly left the room, making sure he didn’t trip over the body bags on the floor. It only took a quick glance around to find West hunched over the room’s sink, sticking his head under the faucet.

“So you didn’t read the book. This ‘Dr. Whately’ is behind everything?” Ash asked as he approached.

“He had approached me with the book in hand, offering to cure death with my help,” West spoke over the rushing water, combing his fingers through his dark hair to get as much blood out as possible. “I refused, calling him mad, and he didn’t take too kindly to that. Do you know what it feels like to be ripped inside-out?”

Ash shuddered at the thought, “Alright. At least you’re not responsible on the undead. Without the Necronomicon, that’s impossible!”

Ash laughed, honestly relieved to uncover the doctor’s innocence. However, it was quickly dashed as he heard the sink shut off and Dr. West raised his head back up, “On the contrary, the corpses are a product of my work.”

Ash did a double take, “Huh?! What do you mean ‘your work’?”

Dr. West straightened himself with confidence, “Most doctors believe that irreversible brain death occurs after 6 to 12 minutes, but with my serum I’ve conquered that threshold and reversed death!”

“So, you…” Ash stood, flabbergasted “You actually brought the dead back to life!?”

“Well,” West faltered, turning away with his face slightly flushed with embarrassment “Due to restrictions, I have yet to pass the animal testing phase…”

So that’s what the deadite meant about helping West, and why Dr. Whately was interested in his help. Those demons must love the ideas of using this serum to resurrect their vessels for them, giving them access to many more bodies than just the living. Dr. West placed his newly cleaned glasses back on and made his way past the gurneys and to the back cabinet.

“So, I hope there’s no hard feelings between us,” Ash offered as he watched Dr. West pilfer the shelves.

“Why would there be?” Dr. West looked back at Ash with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, since I pretty much came to down here to kill you and get my stuff back…”

“Who told you that your things were down here?” The doctor rolled his eyes and went back to looking through the cabinet.

Ash was about to answer with “Mirror Buddy”, but then remembered who exactly his Buddy was, “Oh right…”

“Aha!” Dr. West exclaimed as he pulled out a jar of glowing green liquid, smiling gleefully as he quickly inspected it. Ash wouldn’t know, since the jar’s contents only made him think of glowsticks. The liquid didn’t matter to him, they only bring things back to life and not kill. Thankfully with Deadite-West out of the picture, Ash won’t have to worry about West brewing up any more trouble. Ash retreated back into the Morgue to retrieve his chainsaw, and when he came out he saw West shoving the jar into a bag slung over his shoulder.

“Right, so,” Ash spoke while placing the chainsaw onto his stump, adjusting the clamp so it stayed on as best it could without the support belts “Thank you for helping me and all that, but now I’m off to find Dr. Whately.”

“ _You’re_ going to find him?” West scoffed “You don’t actually think you’re going to do this alone, are you?” He further enforced what he was implying by grabbing ahold of a dirty shovel that rested in the corner of the room.

“Hey, whoa now,” Ash protested with a shake of his head “You’re only going to get in my way out there.”

“You don’t know that,” West rolled his eyes “Besides, I have more of a reason to go after Whately than you do.”

Ash opened his mouth for another protest, but to his irritation West interrupted him again.

“But if you’re so adamant to go alone, then I suppose you’ll be without a medically trained ally. If you dislocate an arm, then I suppose you’re out of-”

“Alright, I get it!” Ash caught West by the arm “You want to kill Whately just as badly. Fine then, if you want to get yourself killed be my guest.”

“Thank you,” West responded with a smug tight-lipped smile of triumph. God, could this guy be even more punch-able? Nevertheless, Ash reasoned that West would probably make a good band-aid dispenser and distraction for the deadites they happen to come across. West extracted himself from Ash’s grip and made his way to the door.  
“Well, after you, Dr. West,” Ash gestured as he followed the scientist.

“Oh please,” West shrugged, opening the door and stepping out “Just call me Herbert.”

Ash scoffed with a little “Whatever” as he followed suit, stepping out into the hall with a renewed confidence. With his chainsaw back, he felt like he could take on a whole army of deadites, and Ash knew full well that’s what he and Herbert will be practically up against.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this! Please feel free to voice what you think down below, and I'm also very open to suggestions for story ideas and other crossovers ^_^
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr at "plaguedoctor31"


End file.
